


How Love Blossoms

by spetember



Category: Winx Club
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-05-15 00:14:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14779968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spetember/pseuds/spetember
Summary: The story of the artistic ex-Specialist and the fairy of nature, and how one short meeting grew and blossomed into something beautiful.A slight retelling of how Helia and Flora slowly fell for one another over the course of the school year. Follows the spoken and unspoken events during Season 2.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm using a mixture of details/dialogue from both the RAI English and 4kids, as well as the Dutch version which was the version I saw as a kid! So if you get confused about which storyline it belongs to, it's mostly going to stick to the RAI English version x
> 
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> EDIT: I changed some of the details and timing! Thank you for your lovely comments :)

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**Chapter One**

The day Helia had received a letter from his grandfather urging him to visit Red Fountain’s opening ceremony had been a difficult one. It had been just a little over a year since he’d dropped out of his old school to practice the arts instead, much to his family’s collective disappointment. Of course, he knew his grandfather would always support him in whatever dream he wanted to pursue, but it was no secret that the headmaster wanted his favourite and only grandson to return to his school. That much was made clear in the letter, anyway. But although he truly felt awful for disappointing his grandfather, Helia still had his reservations about enrolling in Red Fountain again.

His years at the school for Specialists had admittedly been the most exciting of his life, but excitement wasn’t something that could sustain him. He didn’t seek out danger, and he couldn’t live off adrenaline alone; he sought harmony and balance, not glory and power. There was a fine line between surviving and truly living, and it was one Helia constantly pondered over. He wanted to build an inner strength, to achieve something greater than he was, but that was a goal that he simply couldn’t achieve by training with deadly weapons and battling monsters. Art school allowed him to pursue greatness in an entirely new way, a way that was thoughtful and introspective, which was more like his own wavelength.

In fact, that was why he had first started meditating all those years ago. It may have made other Specialists laugh, but it gave him sense of balance that allowed him to feel completely calm and in control, even in the heat of a losing battle. It was probably what gave him the willpower to train endlessly and eventually reach the top of his class, despite the fact that he didn’t believe in violence at all. It was ironic, really: he couldn’t stand to hold a sword or a laser gun, but for a while it seemed to be all he was good at.

And despite his apparent skill, despite his drive to achieve inner strength, he knew very well he didn’t truly belong at Red Fountain. He knew everyone called him a pacifist like it was a dirty word, and he also knew that his status as Saladin’s grandson probably made his ranking at the top of the class seem suspicious. And despite the fact that he’d worked hard to get to where he once was, Helia couldn’t stay he was proud to be Codatorta’s “best student,” as the man had once stated, or that he “showed promise” in sword-fighting, or that he “had a gift” for one-on-one combat. It just wasn’t what he wanted. Fighting without real purpose felt so fundamentally wrong, and that plagued him. For one reason or another, Helia just couldn’t feel an ounce pride when he left a fight with his opponent on the ground in pain. He had even picked the least violent items available as his weapon of choice: his trusty laser-string gloves, the ones he still carried with him today.

He wasn’t really sure why he still a carried them around, actually. Sentimental value, maybe, but it was more than that. It felt like there was something inside him, perhaps the instinct that Codatorta had drilled into him after years of training, but it was something insistent that implored him to be careful, to always be prepared, to never let his guard down, _just in case._

That was the confusing part. He didn’t know why he still scanned every new area for signs of danger, or why he always seemed to be on his guard; he didn’t have to fight anymore, so why did he feel like he was missing something? It was like the old saying went: he was a lover, not a fighter. And what he loved most was art and poetry. So take the fighting out of the equation completely, and he should have been happy.

And he had been, for a while. It had been difficult to finally make the leap and attend a local art school instead of taking his predetermined path as a Specialist, but the lessons he had learned along the way had made the experience entirely worth it. Drawings and poems never brought pain or destruction, and evoked no sense of bloodlust; they celebrated the softer, kinder things within the magical universe, and let him find clarity whenever his vision was clouded by self-doubt. Saladin had once told him there was true strength in sensitivity, and Helia couldn’t agree more. Unfortunately, none of the other Specialists ever seemed to approve of the sentiment, but that didn’t matter to him; it let him know that there was more to life than endless fighting.

And that was part of the second reason Helia wasn’t sure he could return to Red Fountain. For the first few years of his school career, it seemed that everyone he met was his polar opposite. That made it difficult to find something to confide in, someone who would truly understand him past a shallow companionship. Not that he minded: Helia enjoyed the calming solitude, and he was entirely self-sufficient, but sometimes, very rarely, he would see the other Specialists laughing their loud, chest-heaving laughs and having pure, unadulterated fun and being _together_ and he would feel the stinging pang of loneliness.

He had to admit that if there was anything appealing about Red Fountain, it was the sense of brotherhood.

Choosing to leave had been difficult. It was probably the most difficult decision of his life so far. The consequences hadn’t been easy to deal with, either: it had sparked the first real argument between himself and not his grandfather, surprisingly, but his mentor, Codatorta.

Helia didn’t have even a trace of a temper, so he rarely ever argued, and when he did he was always the first to end it, but this time he had refused to give in to his professor’s anger. He still remembered the day vividly, although it was a year ago, and it still pained him to think back on it. After he had broken the news of his leaving to his grandfather, the old wizard had given him a look of reluctant understanding. It was a look Helia would never forget.

Just as he was packing up the last of his things in his old dorm, Codatorta had stormed in, yelling profanities all the way. His professor had looked him in the eye and point-blank refused to let him leave Red Fountain under any circumstances, and Helia had tried to rationalise with him, but the man hadn’t even let him speak. He didn’t like to get angry, but after getting yelled at for what seemed like an eternity, and being told that he must continue his training, that he wasn’t allowed to give up now, that art was a useless pursuit… He couldn’t take it anymore. He had shoved the rest of his clothes into his bag and slammed the door shut, not even turning back once.

He had later felt so ashamed of himself that he immediately wrote his old professor a letter explaining himself, and had even asked for his blessing to become study art. He had never received a reply.

So now, a year later, it was easy to understand why he was hesitant to return for a visit. He had only gone back once this whole year, and that had been right after the Army of Darkness had attacked. That was a few months ago. He wasn’t even sure if Codatorta wanted him back at all, considering the man’s stubborn temper. Saladin had assured Helia he would be welcomed with open arms if he ever returned to visit, but Helia was more concerned with whether or not those arms would be holding laser guns. However, despite all his countless doubts and worries, he missed his grandfather. He missed the ancient buildings and grounds of Red Fountain. He even missed the hours of tough training sometimes. That didn’t mean he wanted to return for good, but this was just a short ceremony.

And so, after reading and rereading his grandfather’s letter over and over, lingering on the regally-penned “I am proud of you” a few moments longer, Helia decided that paying his old school a visit couldn’t do any harm. He might even get inspired on the way.

However, when he actually arrived at the familiar bus stop near the school, it was far less nostalgic than he had expected it to be. Despite it already being a year since he had turned his back on the school, it felt like just yesterday. The school hadn’t changed at all since the last time he had been there, and judging by the noise of the crowd and the unmistakable sounds of hoverbikes in the distance, neither had the students. There were a lot more people than he had expected; he knew the girls attending the event were students from Alfea, the school for fairies, and from Cloud Tower, the school for witches, but he hadn’t met or even seen any of them before. It was strange to see them behaving like normal teenagers, considering their powers. He had always admired those who studied the art of magic, but he hadn’t been exposed to it much; in fact, Saladin was one of the only people he’d ever seen performing magic in person. He wondered if he could ever see them practice spells in action.

As he entered the familiar school grounds, Helia realised hadn’t been around so many people in a long time, and for some reason, the bustling presence of hundreds of strangers gave him an overwhelming feeling of possibility, like anything could happen at any moment. He didn’t know why or how, but it felt like something either wonderful or terrible would happen today.

And in some ways, both were true.

Walking past the crumbling school buildings, he was reminded of the battle with the Trix and the Army of Darkness only a few months before. He had visited the school right after the attack, and seeing the reality of it had hurt him in a peculiar way, a way that stung both his heart and his head. Although he didn’t believe in fighting fire with fire, he knew that defending their school was the right course of action, especially with opponents like the Trix.

As the hot sun beat down on him, Helia walked the familiar route towards the arena, greeting several of his old classmates along the way, and found a seat near the front as he waited for the opening ceremony to begin. He hadn’t realised how early he was, but the seats were almost all empty. Most people were standing around, talking to friends or taking advantage of the free food and drinks. After sitting and observing the crowd for several minutes, feeling strangely out of place in this familiar environment, Helia briefly wondered if he should go for a walk to clear his head, but just then a pigeon landed on the stone steps.

He studied the bird for a moment. He took in its beautiful, colourful feathers and the way its form gracefully kissed the sky when it took flight. There was a moment when the bird’s wings seemed to blend with the clouds, and the creature and sky became one, and Helia felt a familiar inkling of inspiration. He opened his sketchbook and took out his brush, flipping through pages upon pages of nature-inspired sketches until he found a blank page, brushed his long hair out of his eyes, and began to draw.

Another bird joined, and then another, and he captured each one until he had sketched enough to fill several pages. He focused intently on the bird’s graceful movements as more people began to filter into the stadium, gradually filling the seats. He vaguely heard somebody comment on the geometric structure of the place, which Helia had to agree with: it was a beautiful building, and one he’d drawn many times. He tried to focus on the bird and block out the noise, but the group standing right next to him were just within earshot. He recognised the voices of a few Specialists; he knew them all vaguely, like Prince Sky and Brandon, but none of them had been in his classes and they hadn’t been particularly close, so he didn’t look up.

“Who’s that? He’s kinda cute,” a girl’s voice exclaimed, piercing the lull of the crowd. Helia focused on drawing the smooth curve of the wing.

“Uh, nobody,” the unmistakable voice of Brandon grumbled.

“Actually, that’s Saladin’s grandson.” Helia recognised Timmy’s voice: he used to admire his amazing defence strategies. They must be talking about him. This piqued his interest, though he tried not to let it show. What other people thought of him was none of his business.

“So he must be a talented Specialist!” said a different girl.

“Him? No way, he’s a real pacifist, doesn’t even like to get his hands dirty.” There was that word again: pacifist. As if it was a bad thing. Helia tried to focus on his drawing, but now that he knew the conversation was definitely about him, he couldn’t.

“As a matter of fact, I heard he dropped out of Red Fountain,” said Timmy. “Something about art school, I think.” At least that much was true. Helia looked up to confirm who was talking about him, and caught Brandon’s eye, who suddenly looked stiff and embarrassed at being caught. After a moment’s hesitation, he walked over to where Helia was sitting, with the same broad-shouldered confidence he always carried with him.

The brown-haired Specialist grinned sheepishly. “Hey, Helia, let me introduce you. Meet the stars of Alfea,” Brandon said, like it was the most natural thing in the world and he hadn’t just been caught talking about him. He took a step back and gestured at the group of Alfea girls. There were Pixies hovering around them, and one of the small creatures was asleep in her fairy’s arms. The sight was somehow touching.

“This is Stella,” Brandon said, gesturing at the blonde girl beside him, who gave him a radiant smile. Judging from how he stood so close to her and his soft, adoring smile as he said her name, Helia guessed she must be Brandon’s girlfriend. He smiled in greeting, when he suddenly realised that he recognised her from the news as the princess of Solaria.

“Tecna,” Brandon continued, indicating a girl with a short, violet pixie cut. “And—”

“Hi! I’m Stella. Are you an artist? Can you show me your sketches?” Stella asked enthusiastically, cutting Brandon off completely. Helia wasn’t surprised; people often asked to see his sketches if he was drawing in public, even complete strangers. He used to feel too embarrassed, but now that he was used to it, he was always happy to share his work with others. That’s what art was for.

Helia stood up and gave a polite bow, smiling down at the fairies. “Pleased to meet you,” he said earnestly.

“Why do you draw on paper?” Tecna, the girl with violet hair, asked him suddenly. He was briefly taken aback by her bluntness. “Graphic palettes are so handy!”

Helia was about to answer, because there was a reason he used this specific type of paper, when a small, blue-haired Pixie zoomed down to his eye-level. “You’ve got up to fifty undo’s in the memory, digital chroma control, plus all the layers you could possibly want!” she boasted. “You also get alpha channels, texturizing—” The small Pixie started listing off all the benefits of digital art, letting herself get carried away by the endless options.

Stella of Solaria took his sketchbook and quickly flipped through the last two pages. “Wow, these are great! Say, would you draw a portrait of me?” the blonde fairy asked, handing the book to the pretty girl next to her. Helia was flattered, as people often asked him to draw them when they found out he was an artist, but he couldn’t draw anything unless it truly inspired him. Too taken aback by the princess’ boldness, he looked on as the girl with brown hair studied his newest drawing intently.

“Your lines are full of life, one can really sense the energy! And I love the way your brushstrokes match the fern leaf in the paper,” she said softly, her eyes glowing with admiration. She gingerly handed back his sketchbook. Helia took it, looking down at her with eyes wide in surprise.

“No one’s ever noticed the fern in the paper before,” he said honestly. He felt truly, deeply flattered.

Brandon cleared his throat. “And this is Flora,” he finally said. The girl, Flora, giggled bashfully, a blush rising in her cheeks, and Helia found himself smiling.

“Flora,” he repeated, half in greeting, half in wonder. His eyes met hers, and he gave her a soft smile, which she hesitantly returned, her blush growing.

Brandon introduced the other fairies as Musa and Layla, and he greeted them both in turn, as well as Sky and Riven, the other two Specialists he recognised. Sky returned the greeting warmly, while Riven ignored him completely, but Helia recognised that in him as well so he didn’t take offence. The newly-acquainted fairies and Specialists chatted shortly about the ceremony, and what they would expect from the tournaments, when a beep sounded from Tecna’s pocket.

“Guys, isn’t it time for you all to go?” Tecna suddenly said, taking out the source of the beep, a small portable computer. The screen displayed the time in mid-air with a green glow. “My calculations predict you need at least six minutes to get ready…”

Brandon checked the time on her device and his eyes widened almost comically. “Damn, it _is_ almost time,” he confirmed. “We should get going. Girls, you go ahead and take your seats.” He gave the Alfea fairies a smile and a wink, which Stella returned.

“It’s so late,” Sky muttered, quickly checking his phone and shoving it into his pocket in evident frustration. “I wonder where Bloom is. She still hasn’t come back to see us before we start.”

“She’ll show up,” Brandon reassured him, and they started to leave. “Check you guys later. Enjoy the show!” he called over his shoulder.

“Break a leg, guys!” said Layla, giving the Specialists a thumbs-up, which prompted the other girls to cheer and tell them “Good luck!” or “Make us proud!” as they made their way down to the arena.

“We’d better find somewhere to sit or we’ll be stuck all the way at the top,” Layla suggested. She brought her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun as she looked around the fully-packed stadium for enough empty seats. “I don’t want to miss any of the action!”

“I see some over there!” Musa pulled Layla along, and Flora glanced at them before turning back to Helia with the same nervous smile.

“It was a pleasure meet you, Helia,” she said, her voice cool and calming. She looked him briefly in the eye and then quickly back down again. “Y-you, um, I mean—”

“So about my portrait,” said Stella, flashing another radiant grin, “take however long you need. I’ll have my people call your people!”

“Nice meeting you!” Musa called, before she and Layla ran towards the seats to claim them.

Helia laughed lightly. “The pleasure was all mine,” he said, and they said their good-byes before the girls quickly followed the other two through the crowd. He stole one last glance at Flora, who looked back at him over her shoulder and quickly averted her gaze to the floor with a smile. He suddenly noticed the shape of her cheekbones, her button-shaped nose, how her long hair flowed in the wind like tall reeds in a field of grass... He felt himself get struck by inspiration, like his heart was somehow moved, but he didn’t know why. He didn’t need to.

Helia sat down again, looking down at the sketch she had just been admiring. He remembered vividly how her eyes had seemed so full of life as she studied his work carefully, paying attention to each minute detail. He picked up his brush and began to draw, his sudden inspiration leading him to a portrait of not Stella, but the soft girl with the beautiful smile. He didn’t have any paint with him, so he left it blank and lightly shaded, or else he would have coloured in her cool green eyes and hair that shone like strands of pure gold in the afternoon sun. He drew until the ceremony began, and slowly closed the sketchbook as Specialists appeared on hoverbikes rearing the flags of Red Fountain, signalling the beginning of the tournament.

“Shh! I think it’s about to start!” Musa said to the girls – mostly to Stella and Bloom, who had only just joined them, red-faced and panting after running around the whole school looking for Professor Avalon. Judging by her look of disappointment, she hadn’t found him.

Flora sat on the other end of the row fidgeting in her seat, which she rarely ever did, but something giddy within her wouldn’t let her sit still. She was beaming from ear to ear and couldn’t stop herself from smiling. The fairy of nature kept thinking back to Helia, the apparent ex-Specialist, who was a pacifist, a talented artist, and such a gentleman… It almost seemed too good to be true, somehow. When Chatta had asked her jokingly to be on the lookout for a boy who was her type, she hadn’t expected to find one immediately.

“Hey, what did you think of him?” she couldn’t help herself from saying, leaning over to Tecna, who sat beside her on the stone seat.

“Who? The hoverbikers? They weren’t anything special, but I think the real show is about to start,” she said. “Although they really should have started over two minutes ago,” she added, irritated that her calculations had been incorrect.

“No,” Flora quickly whispered, “I meant—”

Just then, Headmaster Saladin and the infamous Codatorta appeared, effectively silencing the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, friends of Red Fountain,” the professor boomed. “We have not gathered here today…”

Flora quickly glanced over the stadium, where Helia sat on the other end of the arena, almost opposite them. She could barely make out his long, black hair amidst the crowd, and quickly looked back down as if she had been caught. As Codatorta kept talking, Flora kept glancing up and down, her blush growing. She started listening again when she saw Headmaster Saladin wave at the crowd, and remembered that Timmy had said he was Helia’s grandfather. She couldn’t see any family resemblance.

“The time has come to restore the prestige of Red Fountain,” the headmaster said, “by renewing the very foundations of our institution!” The wizard raised his staff and a golden glow erupted behind him, his magical power causing a whirlpool of energy and light to spring from his fingertips. The crowd gasped as the floor beneath them seemed to shake, and the arena itself seemed to tear itself apart.

“What’s going on?” Musa cried.

“It’s collapsing!”

“Oh no!”

For a moment Flora thought there might be an earthquake or an accident, when she noticed that Saladin was holding his arms out steadily, controlling the building’s movements precisely. The school crumbled to the ground as the ground itself was raised up into the sky, and there were several cries in the crowd as the earth continued to shake.

“Please, everyone, stay calm! Enjoy the ride!”

Flora glanced around her to make sure it was safe, and the Winx hesitantly took their seats again as the school building lifted up into the air, completely reborn as the new Red Fountain like a phoenix rising from the ashes. The stadium doubled in size as more and more seats opened up, the collapsible roof disappearing over their heads to allow a beautiful view of the sky. Flora was in awe of the wizard, who lowered his staff when the spell was complete. Saladin’s power really was as great as rumour said.

The crowd filtered into the new and improved Red Fountain arena, laughing at their needless fear moments ago, and the Winx took their seats again, close to the centre. Flora looked at where Helia had been sitting, but she had lost him in the crowd.

“Do the Specialists throw these kinds of parties very often?” Layla joked, and Flora laughed with her friends as multi-coloured dragons flew up into the sky, signalling the beginning of the tournament.

After an hour had passed and the freshmen had all fought, it was time for Brandon’s match against an upperclassman, when the mysterious monster that attacked the school clouded the sky with its haunting shadow. Helia immediately stood up, all instincts on edge, as the other Specialists scrambled to get their weapons and mount their dragons. The other students helped the crowd evacuate the arena as rocks and rubble crashed to the ground wherever the monster knocked down pillars and crushed seats.

He quickly scanned the crowd for his grandfather, but didn’t find him, and noticed that the group of Alfea girls he had just met showed no hesitation, yelling “Magic Winx!” and immediately transforming into their magical forms to fly up and meet the monster. He had never met these girls before, but somehow they seemed to know what they were doing, and he had no doubt of their strength. The Specialists up against the beast were amongst the most skilled, too, so he had no doubt they would be able to handle it for now. He breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ran to retrieve his trusty gloves.

Terrifying moments passed, and with each new attack, the monster proved to be impervious to magical spells. The blonde princess of Solaria was getting irritated, throwing beams of light and scalding balls of heat at the creature left and right with her sceptre. The other fairies and Specialists were having similar luck with all their attacks. Helia quickly scanned the arena again, but it was just the fairies and the remaining Specialists. He still couldn’t see his grandfather anywhere, and it was starting to worry him. He had no doubt about the man’s ability to protect himself, but he wanted to make sure he was safe. Just then, the monster unleashed an ear-shattering growl and opened its mouth, spitting a black, sticky substance directly at Flora.

“No!” she cried, shielding her face, but it coated her wings and eyes and she couldn’t see. She faltered mid-flight as she frantically wiped her face to get rid of the slime, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Look out!” Sky cried, but it was too late.

“Flora!” a red-haired fairy cried, and the monster landed right beside the fairy, shaking ground with it heavy steps.

“She’s in trouble!” Layla cried.

“We’ll never make it!”

Helia jumped up on the crumbling, red-tiled roof and quickly surveyed the monster from above. He tried to find a weak point, any tell-tale sign that could be its undoing, as he had been trained to do. Its tail had a twin head attached to it, so any double-sided attacks wouldn’t work, but it seemed to be guiding all its weight from its upper body, so maybe…

“What happened?” Flora asked as she finally managed to open her eyes, and screamed as she came face-to-face with the monster’s sharp beak.

Helia didn’t hesitate. The monster lunged, so he unleashed the laser-string gloves, and smiled when they attached themselves exactly where he aimed: the tail, shoulders and back of the beast. He strained his forearm to hold it in steadily place, but the monster was doing all the work for him: he was pulling himself by his own weight.

“What’s holding it back?” Brandon asked in surprise from atop his dragon.

“Of course!” cried Sky triumphantly. “Tie it to its tail, it’ll fight its own strength!”

Brandon glanced at the orange strings attached to the monster in confusion. “But who could—”

“Up there!” Flora cried as she spotted him, pointing up at the roof of the arena.

“Helia?” Brandon asked incredulously. “How could a dropout pull a stunt like that?”

“I heard he was Codatorta’s best student before he quit,” Sky told him, much to Brandon’s surprise.

Helia chose to prioritise the matter at hand instead of discussing his past and smiled down at the fairy. “Flora, are you alright?”

Flora giggled nervously, feeling her blush growing, and couldn’t quite find the words to answer. She cupped her cheeks, feeling them heat up, but couldn’t get herself to stop smiling. She felt silly for acting so shy in the middle of a battle, but Helia looked so cool, his long hair waving in the wind, the sun standing behind him like a halo.

Sky looked at her knowingly, and gave Helia a grateful smile. “She’s fine, Helia.”

Helia retracted his gloves, his forearm burning from keeping the monster steady, and he vaguely heard one of the fairies cry that he had set it free. Helia calmly walked down the roof the jumped down, and just as he had anticipated, the monster followed him. He ducked out of view as the beast continued its rampage away from the fairies and any other people. Without his full gear, there wasn’t much else he could do against the monster, but at least he could buy them some more time so they could come up with an effective strategy.

As the Winx devised their plan and the Specialists scurried to gather the supplies, Helia watched from the side-lines as they used laser-strings to secure the monster in place, just as he had done. When the monster broke some of their ropes, Flora blew a shimmering spell into the air and gigantic vines burst up from the ground, wrapping themselves around the monster and holding it securely in place. Helia studied the fairies and the Specialists working together, admiring their teamwork and entranced by the fairies’ powers. His gaze lingered on Flora, her flying form far off in the distance, a shimmering pink silhouette against the blue sky. So she was a fairy of nature…

Helia was lost in thought as Tecna gave the final order to deliver the finishing blow to the secured beast, and the monster glowed bright yellow before finally disintegrating into dust. As the fairies and Specialists rejoiced in their victory, Helia looked on with a smile and a feeling of pride blooming in his chest. Apparently, things were different from when he had attended Red Fountain: they had stuck to a strategy to defeat the beast using minimal violence, and it was clear that all they wanted was to protect the school and the people at all costs. He didn’t know if he was impressed, proud, or slightly envious.

As the crowd returned to the stadium, filtering in from the shelters, Helia finally found Saladin with Codatorta and the senior guard, walking up the stairs from the secure basement levels.

“Grandfather,” he called, catching up with him. “Are you alright? Were you hurt?”

“Helia! Why, if it isn’t my favourite grandson,” Saladin exclaimed, as he always did. “My boy, I’m glad to see you’re safe,” he said, still using the same affectionate term as always. “Don’t you worry about me, I’m perfectly fine.”

Helia breathed a sigh of relief, and looked up at his old mentor. “Hello, Professor.”

The professor merely gave him a nod of acknowledgement, but he didn’t start yelling profanities, so Helia knew that all must be forgiven. It seemed that his stubborn mentor was unable to stay angry at him, after all.

“You didn’t happen to have a hand in defeating the monster, now, did you?” his grandfather said, glancing knowingly at the gloves he was still wearing.

“I only helped a little,” Helia admitted. “You have trained your students trained well, Professor Codatorta. They’re quick-thinking and intuitive in the face of action.”

“I thought you didn’t like that?” Codatorta replied sarcastically.

Helia smiled. “It seems I don’t mind a little action from time to time,” he said. He then turned to his grandfather with a serious expression. “Grandfather, I heard the Trix were involved in this attack. Is that true?”

The old wizard sighed and gripped his dragon staff tightly. “Yes. I’m afraid they are after something…most precious, and they will not stop until they get it. The stakes are quite dire, my boy. This time, the witches have a power far more evil and dark than we could imagine on their side.”

“I want to help defend our school,” Helia said without a moment’s hesitation. “They destroyed it once, and I wasn’t even there to protect it, but they will not do it again. My duty is first and foremost to the welfare of the magical dimension, and to its people. If that means re-joining your school…” He paused, looking at Codatorta to size up his reaction, and the man gave the tiniest hint of a smile. “Then I can only hope you will accept me.”

Saladin gave his grandson a long, hard look, and beckoned him to follow. Despite his serious disposition, he couldn’t hide his smile. “Come. We have much to discuss.”

Helia nodded, and was about to follow, but stopped himself short. “There’s something I need to do first,” he said. “Could I meet you in your office later?”

Saladin smiled knowingly once more. “Of course, my boy,” he said. “Meet me whenever you are ready.” He turned to leave with the guard, and Codatorta gave him another curt nod before they disappeared into the building.

Helia found his sketchbook where he had left it in the arena and ripped out the last page, careful not to smudge the fresh ink. He folded the paper just as his grandfather used to show him when he had taught him the art of origami, and blew life into the paper airplane. Although Helia didn’t have any magic that he knew of, his grandfather had shown him this trick for always making a message find its intended recipient. He then released the paper plane into the wind and let it fly its course, all the way across the stadium, past a flock of pigeons, across Sky’s suspicious look at Bloom and Avalon and over the heads of the other Winx, down to the base of a tree where Flora was relaxing in the sun.

She picked up the airplane in surprise and carefully opened it up, prompting her blush to return as she found a beautiful portrait of none other than herself. She immediately recognised the paper and the beautiful brushstrokes, and hugged the paper to her chest, grinning from ear to ear.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the positive comments! Hope you like this chapter :)  
> A lot of the dialogue comes directly from the episode, just to stay close to the storyline.

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**Chapter Two**

Flora couldn’t remember the last time she had as many sleepless nights as in the long weeks that followed the events at Red Fountain. She was exhausted from her magic training with the other Winx, and that combined with juggling her homework and the fate of the Codex quickly became too much for her to handle. Especially after Tecna’s suspicions of Professor Avalon had backfired, it hadn’t been an easy few weeks for the fairies. The stress and exhaustion was getting to her.

There was perhaps one other thing that was keeping her up on those long, sleepless nights, something that fluttered in her chest whenever she thought of it, and was currently folded carefully and tucked safely into her diary. Flora didn’t write in it as much as she used to, like when she’d first left Linphea, but now the floral journal was covered in a single word, one she couldn’t get out of her head no matter how hard she tried. And every time she opened up the folded paper and studied the portrait, Flora’s heart raced, the word ringing in her head like an old song.

_Helia._

It was a strange new feeling, and she couldn’t say she disliked it. Feeling fluttery and giddy every time she thought of him was unfamiliar and exciting, but it was starting to eat at her. For once, she wanted to be bold, to be daring, to be confident and self-assured, to be…

Flora glanced over at her sleeping roommate, and sighed. She wanted to be more like the other Winx. Maybe then, she’d have the confidence to talk to Helia. She hadn’t seen him since Red Fountain, which was already over two weeks ago, but she still couldn’t get him out of her head. At first, she convinced herself that it was just leftover nerves from the events at the school. The battle with the monster and surprise from the reveal of the new school had affected her.

But the minute she returned to Alfea, her mind still wandered to the boy with the beautiful, long hair, who drew so wonderfully, who had saved her…

And she realised that perhaps, very maybe, she could maybe like him.

Suddenly, Bloom opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling wordlessly. Flora gave her a worried glance, but she quickly averted her water blue gaze and buried her face into her pillow. The sound of crying was slightly muffled by the sheets. Flora almost threw off her covers and jumped up to comfort her friend, but she knew Bloom liked to have some space when she was feeling down.

When Bloom sat up, her face determined, Flora propped herself up on her arm. “Bloom? What’s wrong? Something’s bothering you.”

Bloom sighed. “It’s nothing.” She turned over, away from her roommate, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. Flora knew that tone, and she knew it wasn’t just “nothing.”

“I was just thinking about Sky, and, well…” Bloom’s voice was slightly muffled and thick. “Ever since Avalon came here, Sky’s been acting weird, like he’s suspicious of me. I’m starting to think he doesn’t like me anymore. Every time he calls, he seems angry, and he becomes so critical…” She finally turned around and looked up at Flora with big eyes. “I don’t get it! How can boys be so selfish?” she asked rhetorically, picking Kiko up for comfort. “Sky can’t stand Avalon, even though he’s the _only_ one who can help me find a link to my birth parents. I don’t want to see Sky anymore.” She wiggled Kiko about, her frustration and sadness making her voice waver.

Flora turned to Bloom with a serious expression. “Don’t you think Sky might be a little jealous?”

Bloom frowned. “Jealous? Flora, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Really! There’s nothing to be jealous of.” She continued to play with Kiko distractedly, and her tone betrayed the fact that maybe, she knew exactly what Sky was jealous of, but didn’t want to admit it to herself. She then hugged her pet rabbit for comfort and buried her face in Kiko’s soft fur, and said nothing else. After a quiet few moments, she was fast asleep again.

Flora rolled over onto her back, thinking of Sky and Bloom. She was surprised by her friend’s rash attitude, but knew that Bloom was probably overthinking the whole situation after all the arguments the couple had over the past few weeks. Flora had no idea that Bloom had felt so unhappy with Sky recently, and figured that she probably hadn’t even heard the half of it. But she had to admit to herself that she understood where Sky’s jealousy was coming from, even if she didn’t agree with how either of them were dealing with their feelings.

Professor Avalon had absolutely no feelings for Bloom, she was sure of that, and she was certain that Bloom had no feelings for their teacher, even if she admired him. She knew Bloom. And she knew Sky, and that he was head-over-heels in love with Bloom, no matter how moody he could act. Flora sighed. If only they would be honest with one another, they would be able to talk it through and realise their love was stronger than this.

For a split-second that she wasn’t proud of, Flora felt a little envious. She’d seen how much Sky cared about Bloom a million times in how he looked at her or how he said her name, just like Stella and Brandon, or Timmy and Tecna. Even Musa and Riven had their soft, sentimental moments. It was those moments that made Flora feel so incredibly lonely whenever they were all together and she was left on her own. Even though she had her friends, and she had Chatta and Layla, she still felt like the odd one out.

The odd one out. The one who had never had a boyfriend. The one who had never even _liked_ a boy before. Well, she hadn’t, until two weeks ago…

And that brought her right back to where she’d started. Helia. Flora let herself get lost for a moment in the familiar memory of him standing up on the roof of Red Fountain’s stadium, holding the monster in place with his strange gloves. Although she’d tried to ignore it at the time, the memory of his long, glossy hair waving in the wind, the dark intensity of his gaze, and his sleeves falling down to reveal his toned arms as he held the monster in place effortlessly…it was forever burned into her mind. As if on cue, her heart sped up. She thought of the way they’d met, and of the portrait…

Of course, the portrait. Flora frowned. Even two weeks later, she still couldn’t figure out exactly why had had drawn her. A part of her hoped, really hoped, that he maybe returned her feelings, and that this was his way of expressing his admiration for her, but she knew that was silly. Not even in her wildest dreams did she really think Helia would like her in the way she liked him. She wasn’t like the other Winx. Nobody had ever paid this kind of attention to her before.

It hurt, but she had come to the conclusion that, most likely, he had drawn it for her as a way of thanking her for complimenting his art, or maybe as a way of comforting her after the fight. He could’ve even done it on a whim. There were a hundred different reasons why he could have given it to her, and nothing hinted at him maybe harbouring feelings for her, even if that was what she desperately wanted to believe.

With a final sigh, she rolled over to her side and tried in vain to sleep.

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The following morning, Bloom arrived late to breakfast, her eyes red and puffy, but there was a determination in them that the Winx knew all too well. When she downed her coffee in one ago and asked if anyone would come with her to Red Fountain after classes to confront Sky and settle their differences, Flora was quick to volunteer, and, to her surprise, Tecna. Although the fairy of technology gave no reason for tagging along, Flora suspected it had something to do with seeing a special boy of her own.

After gruelling classes, the three girls walked through the forest to the Specialists’ school, past Lake Roccaluce, which glistened in the afternoon sun. Flora swallowed hard and tried to keep her nerves down. She knew she probably wouldn’t get a chance to see Helia again, since he apparently went to art school now, but it didn’t hurt to try. She felt almost stupid, volunteering to help her friend but secretly hoping she would get a chance to see him too… Of course Bloom and Sky were her priority, but if, by some luck, she could somehow see Helia too, then, well. She couldn’t say she didn’t hope for it.

“Hey, what’s going on over there?” Bloom asked, snapping Flora out of her thoughts, looking up to the sky. There was a strange, glowing purple sphere around Red Fountain, zooming around the school. It shot magical beams at the building that exploded upon impact, and Flora gasped. It had a strong negative energy force that the Winx recognised instantly.

“The Trix are behind this, I just know it!” she said, her worries about the Codex rushing back full-force.

“We gotta go. Come on, let’s hurry,” said Bloom, and the three fairies hurried off towards the school. Flora didn’t miss the flying fighter crafts that were starting to fire at the sphere, but hit the trees around them instead. She faltered slightly as she felt their pulsing pain, but swallowed hard and kept running. At the entrance, crowds of Specialists were evacuating into the safety of the building.

“Look, there’s Helia,” Tecna said suddenly, pointing into the crowd of boys. Flora’s breath hitched. He was standing right there, twenty feet in front of her, helping the other Specialists into the school and wearing the Red Fountain uniform. His clasp had an orange gem that glowed in the light. After she got over the initial shock of seeing him, she vaguely thought it really suited him.

The fairies quickly ran over to him. Flora didn’t miss the surprise in his face when he spotted them. “The Winx?” he asked. He looked at them all in turn, and Flora’s pulse raced when his dark eyes met hers. “What are you doing here?”

“We were on our way to Red Fountain when we saw the…weird glowing thing,” Bloom answered. That familiar fire was back in her eyes. “The Trix are behind this, we just know it. They must be after the Codex. We came to help!”

Helia must have known who the Trix were and what the Codex was, because his surprise quickly turned to a grave look of seriousness. He nodded, giving them all another glance, lingering on Flora for a split-second. “Come in, I’ll take you to Codatorta.”

As they followed him upstairs, Flora kept her gaze trained on the floor. She glanced up at Helia. He was a head taller than her, leading them with direct, steady strides, his long hair flowing and his cape trailing behind him. She looked back down and desperately tried not to blush. The uniform really did suit him.

He stopped before a metal door, quickly input a code, and the door slid open. They entered some kind of control room, with Codatorta and Timmy at the control panels, brows creased in worry. Riven paced around the room, looking uncharacteristically anxious.

Helia crossed the room to his professor. “Codatorta. Bloom, Flora, and Tecna are here. They are offering to help.”

Timmy turned back with a shy smile. “Oh, hi girls.” Flora’s heart warmed at Timmy’s soft gaze, looking straight at Tecna. She knew it wasn’t the time, but it was sweet to see how completely in love he was. She resisted glancing at the Specialist who stood so close beside her.

Codatorta didn’t even turn around. “Thank you for the offer, but please sit tight and let us Specialists handle the situation.”

Bloom let out a frustrated sigh, but there was nothing they could do. Helia gave them an apologetic look.

Codatorta and Timmy gave the orders for dragons to take off, as well as more fighter crafts, although all the fairies knew it would do little against the Trix’s magic: it was too powerful to be stopped by force alone.

The Winx waited anxiously in the control room, standing in tense silence, while the Specialists’ attacks did nothing against the sphere.

A red flashing light and loud beeping caused the fairies to look up at Timmy’s computer monitor. “There’s a gaping hole in the roof of the arena!”

“It’s the Trix!” Codatorta exclaimed. “Everyone go. Use whatever means necessary. They must be stopped.”

Bloom looked frozen in sudden shock. Flora quickly put a reassuring hand on her arm and led her towards the door. “Come on,” she said, turning to leave. Tecna looked behind her and said something to Timmy that Flora didn’t quite hear, but once she caught up to with them, she looked disappointed. Flora brushed it off as worry.

When Riven opened the panel door and they came face-to-face with Sky, Bloom froze again, until Riven dug at them for their lovers’ spats and the group made their way into the elevator. If it wasn’t for the persistent worry building in her chest and stomach, Flora would have felt nervous standing so close to Helia, his shoulder brushing her arm.

No, she didn’t have time for that now. She had to focus.

They ran across the hallways and outside, where they spotted Icy, Darcy, and Stormy mid-air. What worried Flora the most was that they seemed to know exactly where they were headed, and that told her they were after one thing again: the Codex piece.

By the time they reached the armoury, Brandon was knocked down to the floor, Darcy smiling as she look down on him with a sickening smirk.

“Hold it!” Sky called, one arm outreached towards his best friend, the other gripping his sword so tightly it shook.

Icy smiled her bitterly cold smile. “Who’s my next little hero?” she said, making Flora’s blood run cold.

“You’re going down,” Bloom promised, her familiar fire seeping into her tone. “Magic Winx!”

Flora felt a familiar rush of power and magic overflow through her veins as they transformed, feeling pure energy course through her as her wings burst into life, her clothes disappeared and melted into pink petals, and her magical powers increased tenfold.

The Winx jumped up into the air, facing the coven of witches before them. Flora’s nerves grew when two fled and left Stormy behind to fight instead. She nearly missed Stormy’s attack, feeling the electric shock drive her into the ground, while Tecna got hit with full force. Her back hit the cold metal floor with a sickening clang.

Helia thrust out his arm, his laser-string gloves extending towards Stormy, but the witch dodged and stuck out her tongue mockingly. Bloom was on the verge of pursuing the other Trix, but looked back at Tecna, clearly feeling guilty at leaving her friend behind.

“Bloom, I’ll take care of her, you guys go after the Trix.” He leant down at Tecna’s side. “You alright?”

Flora glanced at the two, her heart momentarily warmed at his kindness, even in the heat of a battle, but forced herself to remember her purpose. She felt the remains of Stormy’s spell wear away and jumped up, flying with a little difficulty. The wind whipped through her hair and burned her eyes as they raced against the witches, trying desperately to catch up.

She heard Timmy’s muffled voice through Sky’s handheld. “Sky, the Trix are getting near the Codex room. Go straight there, you might beat them to it.”

By the time they reached down the chute and into the hall, Stormy glared at them. Flora quickly mustered up an offensive attack, but Stormy diffused it with a mere spell. She was frozen in surprise when suddenly, she was on the floor, electricity coursing through her again, but so much worse.

“Flora!” Bloom called, and Tecna caught up to them.

“Ugh – don’t worry – just go after them,” she said, forcing herself to raise her head and look up at them.

She caught Bloom’s heated, clear blue gaze. “Hang in there, we’ll be back in no time.” And they were gone.

Flora tried to take comfort in her friend’s words as she closed her eyes tight and leaned her head back against the cool stone wall. She took a deep breath while the curse wore off, but it took several painful minutes to leave her system. She slumped her head against the wall as the pain slowly left her body. She felt like a failure. Familiar insecurity gnawed at her stomach. Once again, she’d tried an attack, and failed miserably, just like the last time they’d been at Red Fountain. Her offensive spells just weren’t her strong suit.

Suddenly she felt a warm hand on her shoulder, and slowly blinked. Helia, his eyes dark and deep as ever, leaned down beside her. He looked worried, his lips pressed into a thin line. He looked her straight in the eye, locking her in his gaze. For a moment, she felt trapped, and her head buzzed, but she wasn’t sure if it was from Stormy’s spell.

“Are you alright, Flora?”

She melted instantly when he said her name.

“I’m,” she started, stuttering. She inhaled sharply in pain and touched her aching forehead. She hated looking so weak in front of him, but she was in no state to pretend. “I’ll be alright.”

Helia gave her a look of disbelief, and she was floored by the intensity of his eyes. He leaned forward and held her arm up, holding the skin like it was fragile, precious. A few strands of his dark hair fell down his shoulder, hiding his face. He remained focused and gently pressed his fingers to her pulse. It was far too fast, but he supposed it was from the pain, or from the rush of the fight. For a moment, he wondered if there was another reason for her heartrate, but brushed it off; now was not the time to be thinking about that.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked softly, looking back up into her eyes, the colour of autumn forests.

Flora looked down, tearing herself away from his gaze, and took a moment to steady herself. “No,” she admitted honestly. “I failed to protect them. My attacks didn’t work.”

The Specialist gave her a look of complete understanding.

“Maybe… I just wasn’t… I don’t know,” she mumbled, shrinking into herself. “Never mind. I’ll be okay.”

Helia’s grip on her shoulder tightened. He put his arm around her and helped her stand up, supporting her weight onto him. Although he wore long sleeves, the contact still burned into her skin.

“Thank you – Helia,” she said quickly, feeling herself blush. She tested out her wings and started towards the basement. “I have to go – my friends—”

“Flora,” he called, and she looked back over her shoulder. His gaze was hard as steel. “Be careful.”

“I will,” she promised, and quickly fled as fast as her wings would take her. By the time she reached the basement, she knew from her friends’ faces that it was too late. Bloom was sobbing over Sky’s body on the floor, knocked unconscious, and Flora suddenly felt a cold shock. She ran over and frantically grabbed Sky’s arm with shaking hands, pressing her fingers to his pulse point. She felt nothing.

“He has no pulse,” she mumbled in disbelief. “His heart has stopped…” She stopped, looking from Sky’s pale face to Bloom, who had stopped sobbing and was looking at her boyfriend with the softest look Flora had ever seen. Intuitively, she brought her hand to his forehead, the other resting on his jaw. She muttered a stream apologies and pleas, but Sky didn’t move.

Something in Bloom’s demeanour changed, and Flora felt a sudden rush of positive energy flow. A warmth radiated from the couple as Bloom glowed faint gold, her hands shaking with effort. Sky’s entire body was alight with the strange spell. Flora didn’t know what kind of spell this was, but it felt like ancient, powerful magic.

Sky opened his eyes.

“Sky, you’re alive!” Timmy said, his voice thick.

“Bloom actually made a miracle happen,” Flora said, smiling through the tears she didn’t know she’d shed.

The fiery-haired fairy flung her arms around him while they cried in utter relief, and Flora didn’t think she’d ever seen such a beautiful act of love in her life.

By the time they reached Codatorta and Headmaster Saladin, they recounted what had happened, and that the damage was already done. The Trix had Red Fountain’s piece of the Codex. They were joined by a pixie who introduced herself as Athena, the guardian pixie of Red Fountain. Although the headmaster insisted that they had all done their best, but that the Trix were simply too strong, Flora couldn’t help but feel disappointed in herself. The Winx had beat the Trix before, they should be able to do it again… Why were they so insanely strong?

She unintentionally frowned in thought and was snapped out of it by Saladin’s disapproving tone. “Now, my dear, I see your expression. But you must not blame yourself. You girls have done so much for Magix, and for my school. I know Faragonda would be proud of you.”

Flora’s eyes widened as she looked at the old wizard, a rush of gratitude, embarrassment, and respect flowing through her. She glanced at Helia, who stood beside his grandfather, and briefly caught his gaze. He gave her a reassuring smile. That was enough.

That night, when they were back at Alfea, despite the fact that they had lost the battle, Flora was back in her pyjamas and snuggled into Bloom’s covers, cuddled up next to her friend. They had both had a scare that day, and needed the comfort. The two spent the late hours of the night talking about life, the Codex, the Trix, and, inevitably, about death, until Bloom’s soft snores made Flora smile. She closed her eyes, and finally found sleep.

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	3. Chapter 3

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**Chapter Three**

If any of the other Winx had caught up with what was on the forefront of Flora’s mind since both visits to Red Fountain, they didn’t confront her about it in the next few days. Classes went on as usual, much to Stella’s chagrin, but Flora didn’t mind. She didn’t mind because she wasn’t exactly focusing. During most of Palladium’s lessons, Flora’s notebook was completely void of actual notes, and instead she found herself writing Helia’s name in neat, loopy cursive. It made her feel giddy, like a secret.

She couldn’t believe he’d returned to Red Fountain, and wished that she’d asked him about it instead of mumbling about her magical attacks and flying away. Then again, it was difficult to even bring up their last visit to Red Fountain at all, because Bloom was still having nightmares about Sky dying and waking up in a cold sweat with tears streaming down her face. It was then that Flora’s sleepless nights were useful in helping her comfort her friend back to sleep. Although the loss of the Codex piece was no laughing matter, Faragonda agreed that their lives mattered more. They could face Lord Darkar and the Trix when the time came, especially with all the extra training and lessons they’d been having.

Well, that is, _if_ they were paying any attention during these lessons, which Flora was not. She heard Palladium go on about locks and spells and something about cats in the back of her mind, but that wasn’t what she was thinking about. She smiled down at her notebook and tapped her pen to her lips, letting out a dreamy sigh.

She let herself get lost in a fantasy for a moment, imagining herself, somehow stripped of her powers, facing a giant beast, like the one from Red Fountain. In a flash Helia came to her rescue, looking as heroic as ever, holding the monster back and sweeping her off her feet. She saw herself in a beautiful flowing white dress, and Helia in a matching suit, as handsome in her daydream as her memory, and walking down an aisle of flowers… There would be a priest at the altar… Something in the back of her mind was nagging her, and suddenly the priest was looking an awful lot like Palladium…

“Flora, are you paying attention?”

She dropped her pen and looked up at her professor, snapped out of her trance. He gave her a disapproving look. She quickly stood up, her cheeks hot.

“Uh, yes, Professor.”

“Alright,” he said, clearly in disbelief, “then please recite the spell.” He conjured the Elvish symbol up in thin air. Flora studied it for a moment with uncertainty. Elvish wasn’t the easiest to learn, but she had gotten pretty good at reading them. It looked…simple enough.

“Um, let’s see… Exagero catenas!” she recited, and the cats Palladium appeared to be holding suddenly grew to the size of horses. The class erupted in laughter and Flora sat back down, red with embarrassment.

After class, Stella announced she was going sun-tanning, to which Musa replied that tanning was bad for your skin, and they argued for a solid five minutes about the benefits of vitamin D and the drawbacks of sun damage. Flora vaguely heard them bicker about what they were all going to do after class, but she was too busy thinking to really listen, and soon the girls went off in opposite directions, with Stella exclaiming how boring they all were. Flora glanced over at Layla, and shyly cleared her throat, unsure of how to say this.

“Uh, Layla, can I talk to you for a second?” she asked.

Layla glanced at her. “Okay, sure.”

Flora smiled gratefully, leading them to Knut’s refreshment cart. She treated her friend to a smoothie and leaned up against the wall, taking a sip. She need to word this carefully…

“So let me guess, this is about Helia?” Layla said with a knowing look. Flora gasped, then giggled. The Winx were a lot more perceptive than she gave them credit for.

“Yes, how did you know it was about him?” She paused, her smile fading. “I was just going to ask if you could help me…”

Layla rolled her eyes playfully. “Well, I saw you write his name in your notebook,” she said, and Flora heated up. She played with her straw.

“I so wish I could talk to him,” she said to her smoothie.

“Well, why couldn’t you?” Layla asked. “There’s no reason a girl can’t tell a boy that she likes him!”

Well, when she put it like that, it sounded a lot easier than it actually was.

Flora played with her drink in silence and leaned up against the wall with a frown. “But what if he doesn’t feel the same way about me?” she finally asked, voicing the very fear she’d been holding in for so long.

Layla looked at her in disbelief, as if the answer was obvious, and let out a laugh. “Well you won’t know until you ask, Flora!”

“Well, yeah, but maybe… _You_ could find out how he feels about me…” Flora mumbled to her straw.

“Flora,  _how_ am I supposed to do that?” Layla asked.

“I don’t know… Maybe Chatta can help! I mean, she always knows everybody’s secrets,” the fairy of nature offered. She gave Layla a pleading look, and her friend sighed.

“I really don’t like these kinds of situations,” she said slowly, “but I’ll see what I can do.”

Flora leaped at her with a hug. Her heart was threatening to burst. “Oh, thank you, Layla!”

For the rest of the day, Flora felt lighter. She didn’t have any doubt that Layla be able to help: if anybody could find out anything, it was definitely her. She was brimming with confidence and bravery, something Flora deeply admired, and she seemed so fearless even with new people. She was glad she’d confided in her, and for the first time in days, she was hopeful.

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Helia was adjusting well to his new life at Red Fountain. The last two weeks since the incident at the opening ceremony had been surprisingly easy, and the transition hadn’t been as difficult as he’d expected. It was very much the same routine as it had been before – with training and strategizing for hours a day – but now that he had been paired with Sky’s team, he enjoyed it a lot more than a year ago.

It was admittedly a bit awkward at first to hang around these guys who had been friends for so long, but he soon felt himself warming up to them more and more. And they seemed to be, too. Brandon had barged into his room one day after his shower asking for some help with required reading, while not even looking slightly uncomfortable by the fact that he was only wearing a towel. Sky sat with him at lunch every day their schedules lined up, giving him tips and sharing his experiences from school. Even Riven had given him a smile or two – well, it was more of a smirk, really – when they were paired up during classes. They had quickly taught him a lot about using strength effectively, while he in turn showed them his preferred non-violent methods. He was surprised to find that Timmy liked his pacifism, despite being such a skilled battle strategist.

“Since I’m not on the frontline, I’m assigning men to their positions in fights and battles,” Timmy had explained late one night over homework and tea, “so essentially, their lives are on me. Your style of fighting is clever, and a lot less dangerous than what Riven and Sky are used to. This way…my friends’ lives wouldn’t have to be endangered.”

Helia’s respect for him instantly grew.

And although he was getting closer to the other Specialists, he was glad that his grandfather had given him his old room, so he didn’t have to share with a roommate. Although he wouldn’t really mind where he stayed as long as he had somewhere to sleep, he could meditate in silence this way without anybody interrupting. It was a perk that came with being an older student.

Although it was similar to a year ago, it was also completely different; he enjoyed his classes more, he’d made better friends, he was _happy._ Yes, it was the same routine, and the same people, but in a brighter light.

But what Helia hadn’t quite adjusted to was this new feeling he’d had in his chest ever since he’d first met a certain fairy at the opening ceremony.

Flora was a mystery to him, and a beautiful one. She was strong and serene, in touch with nature, gentle and sweet. He was still in awe of her insanely strong magic power when she’d summoned gigantic vines directly from the earth to hold the monster in place. He was honoured he had gotten the chance to help them and to save her, and by the way she’d reacted when they met, he thought that she maybe felt something too.

But he couldn’t be sure; she hadn’t given him any indication she had received or liked the portrait he drew of her, even when he saw her again when the Trix had managed to take the Codex. Then again, it hadn’t exactly been the right time. He remembered when he discovered her on the floor in pain, the shiver of electricity from the witch’s attack, her erratic heartbeat. Her following words had almost broken his heart:

_“I failed to protect them. My attacks didn’t work.”_

She was strong, that wasn’t the issue; she had proven that before. But perhaps attacking just wasn’t in her nature. He knew it wasn’t in his. He wished he could tell her how he admired her, but from the way she had frozen up when he touched her, he wasn’t sure she wanted to hear that. He didn’t want to make any unwanted advances or make her feel uncomfortable. Although he could admit he was a romantic, and he’d been flattered with love notes and confessions in the past, he had never felt anything close to being in love before. He wasn’t certain how to go about it, or even how to approach her. Alfea wasn’t far from Red Fountain, but it was far enough that it would raise some questions if he showed up unannounced. The thought alone made him feel nervous and giddy and anxious all at once.

What could he do?

The Specialist returned to his room one night, exhausted from training all day. Flora’s shy smile kept coming to his mind, and whenever his thoughts trailed to her he would feel dreamy and light. Still, Codatorta hadn’t gone easy on him when he kept getting distracted, and that hadn’t been fun to deal with.

He closed his door with a satisfying click and left the events of the long day behind him. His bed was a mess – he would make it later – and he’d left his notebooks and sketches all over his desk. Slowly, he approached the cluttered desk, sitting down and studying one of the pages of his notebook. It was a poem, though admittedly not his best, that he’d written the night before when he hadn’t been able to get his mind off his fairy. He hadn’t even finished it, for the fear of writing her name and confessing his feelings held a sense of permanence he wasn’t sure he was ready for. He wanted her to have it, but not if she didn’t want it.

With a sigh, Helia cleared up his poems and notes and got ready for bed. It could wait for another day.

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The next morning, Layla told her what she’d found. Flora’s heart was racing, and it showed no signs of slowing down.

“You’re  _sure_ the poem was about me?” she asked again.

Layla sighed playfully and answered for the third time. “Well, it wasn’t finished, but what else could go with ‘fauna’ except ‘flora’?” she said, and Flora had to agree that it made sense, although she still found it hard to believe that he’d write something so beautifully romantic about _her_. The realisation she had felt as soon as Layla had recited the poem she’d allegedly found on Helia’s desk had left her giddy. She lay back down and stretched her arms out behind her happily, feeling the soft tickle of the flowers and grass beneath her, and let herself let out a giggle.

“I really think you should send him a message,” Layla suggested. She gave her friend an encouraging look. “Tell him how you feel.”

Flora began to feel an itch of doubt, but buried it beneath another happy giggle, and looked over her shoulder at the neighbouring flower bushes. She got an idea. “I’m not sure about that,” she said, “but maybe I’ll send him a _little_ something…”

When classes were over, Flora quickly transformed and flew over to Red Fountain before she could let any lingering doubt or nervousness stop her. Finding Helia’s room was easy – Layla had told her exactly where it was, although how Layla had found it, she didn’t know – and she shyly fluttered over to his window. It was open – she could see him inside, sitting on a carpet by his bed, meditating. He looked serenely beautiful.

Flora had to hold in a dreamy sigh, and she quickly cast a silent spell to grow an enchanted flower on his windowsill. Helia frowned and stilled, sensing something nearby, and Flora quickly ducked under the window and swooped overhead, the giddy feeling in her chest growing. She didn’t turn back to see his reaction; she didn’t have to. She trusted he would know what it meant.

From his windowsill, Helia looked at the gift in surprise, and leaned over the balcony to smell it with a fond smile. He glanced up and saw a familiar flying silhouette overhead, and felt a warm feeling spread in his chest.

*

*

*


End file.
